Comparing Pharmacy Student's Perceptions and Expectations of Quality of Educational Services at Mashhad University of Medical Sciences Based on SERVQUAL Model

In higher education systems, students are the main clients of educational services who can be surveyed as a reliable source to evaluate the quality of educational services they have received. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the quality of educational services for pharmacy students at Mashhad University of Medical Sciences based on SERVQUAL model in 2015.
This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted on 197 pharmacy students of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences who were selected through stratified random sampling. Data collection tool was a modified and localized version of SERVQUAL questionnaire whose validity and reliability were confirmed in similar studies and this study. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and paired and independent t-tests.
There were gaps between students’ expectations and perceptions in all the five dimensions of quality of educational services (P=0.001) namely tangibility (-1.14), empathy (-1.04), assurance (-0.8) responsiveness (-0.76) and reliability (-0.67).
Determining the gaps in service quality may be a valid basis for planning, prioritizing and decision-making about allocation of human and financial resources to improve the quality of education. Since most of the dimensions of quality of education are directly related to the faculty and their educational activities, it is suggested to give priority to holding consultation and communication skills workshops.